Cinemax Makes Ratings 'Strike' With Original Series Debut

Cinemax's first original series, Strike Back, jumped out to a strong start in its Aug. 12 debut.

The series, which stars Sullivan Stapleton as a former U.S. Special Forces operative who teams with an elite British military unit led by Philip Winchester to try to thwart an international terrorist group, drew 1.1 million viewers over three plays this past Friday, according to network officials.

The 10 p.m. premiere broadcast drew 567,000 viewers, triple the time period's year-to-date average and marking the best performance in the time slot since an airing of the movie Titanic more than six years ago, said the network.

An additional 286,000 and 248,000 viewers watched the 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. plays, respectively, according to network officials.